IICRC do they.

Follow thru on their end of the bargain. I've been a certified firm for three years, there are benefits associated with this supposedly. But have you ever know that they actually sent you work for this label?

It's not a big expense, but could they be a little more deliberate with this type of distinction.

Who could we talk to about it to help influence this issue?

What do you guys think?

I went down that road at one time, but just didn't see much value to the certified firm status. I don't think customers look to sites like iicrc when looking to hire a cleaner and I doubt that they even know what it means in your listing.

I think that it is too bad too as the industry needs a means to identify the professionals from the hobbyists, but that requires marketing dollars and that just isn't going to happen from them. Now, if you wanted to push that in your ad campaigns, that is a different story.

I suppose we could try and invite them to discuss it on the board, but I suspect that there are not many here that are even certified in good standing any longer. Might want to start with poll to find out?

The only benefit I saw was being able to perform warranty work on new carpet because the mills will only use a certified firm. I have never had anyone ask if I have certification, training or went through an apprenticeship or anything else about my qualifications.

Until there is some intrinsic and tangible value to being a certified firm, I will not take that route. It appears to be money going in someone else's pocket besides mine with no ROI.

Even if their becomes a benefit I still won't take classes. That's why I'm a carpet cleaner .. no rules... no regulations... no tests.. blue collar and white collar .. I'm free to create whatever lifestyle I want without one person telling me what to do.

As I've said before............

I think education, and taking classes is very important in any form......but being IICRC certified is basically worthless and a waste of money. And this already mentioned, the expense, goes to what benefit for us becoming certified?!??...Prob is some CEO's pocket that's lieing to us, saying it's a necessity to become certified!?

I learned some basics there, and we used to service an entire hospital campus so I needed it then.

The only good thing I got from there was how to explain traffic scaring so the customer understands and how to set expectations.

The rest of it was them saying things like "your competition has a pro team back pack vac, so how does that make you look?"

I took the IICUC exams in 1985, I was one of the 1st "master cleaners" in the states. Paid my dues for years. Never got any work because of it. It went from IICUC to IICRC to Clean Zone and back to IICRC. Its good for the newbies. And training is always a good thing. But more and more I feel that it's a bunch of industry bigheads sucking at the teat of hard working independent operators.It's very political and like most organizations they end up serving themselves more than the people they are elected/hired to represent and help ( read congress). They have failed to make any real change in this industry over the last 30 years, and I have been here for almost all of it.

I became a certified firm and as soon as I realized that I wasn't getting any work from having that status, I stopped paying the "dues" for everything.

The only people profiting are instructors and the iicrc. Oh and of course the suppliers hosting classes.

I don't need them.

Maybe we can host our own classes. It won't be that hard to present material in a educational for. As for credits, doesn't seen to bring much benefits.

Maybe that's the next step to the RC model. Online seminars. Pay the piper. Lol

Waste. Of. Money.

First couple years I got a couple customers from them, the ones who want to maintain their carpets warranty, they have forms which I have to sign and put my iicrc id # in, I thought they would become repeat business but never heard from them again, and in the last few years I haven't gotten anything from them, I'm considering dropping them out.

I maintain my master status and certified firm because I have used them to close a few contracts. I have never gotten any work from the IICRC, but have kept a couple of commercial accounts when there was a warranty issue and the inspector asked who was cleaning the carpets. The inspector on two occasions asked me a few questions and promptly told the customer to keep using my company.

dp1 wrote:First couple years I got a couple customers from them, the ones who want to maintain their carpets warranty, they have forms which I have to sign and put my iicrc id # in, I thought they would become repeat business but never heard from them again, and in the last few years I haven't gotten anything from them, I'm considering dropping them out.

got to love that ever see a mill honor a warranty

Trust me the same folks that wrote the un enforceable carpet warranty's help write the un-affordable care act

Just booked second job from IICRC, although it wasn't from their website, but she was told to get a certified cleaner. So she went to the IICRC app and found us. Have the quote and she said, I'm not looking for the cheap deal either. Lesley said well your the first to say that on five years.   

I dropped out this year. Found no added value. Cannot justify even getting one job. Customers do not care. Trustworthy, honest, dependable, salesmanship, knowledgeable and making lasting relationships are more important.

The IIRC is like NATE for HVAC. Works the same way too.

Education is a GOOD thing. New or old in this sector.

IMO, I have no use for the IIRC. They offer nothing after your education, as far as I can tell. So you keep paying silly high fees, just to say you are "certified". May be best geared toward new guys in the business, as something they can market themselves as, being new. After you are established, no one cares.
I don't think 99.9% of people care anyway. It matters more to us than it ever will any client. The IIRC does a VERY poor job of making people aware of them, why they exist, and why you should insist on a IIRC certified cleaner. Not that it really makes a difference. Good and bad cleaners alike can be found with or without a cert.

And after their arm certified rug doc, the BANE of our existence, why should I ever give them a penny?! Rug doc does as much to devalue our services as the guys that work for beer money.

As far as the carpet cert., I would agree with everything already said, but I disagree when it comes to the AMRT or what-ever they are calling it now. Without their efforts at getting the IAQ people together with cleaners to write the ANSI standards, it would still be the wild west for mold contractors.

I do wish they were more active in getting the message out to help combat the mentality that every cleaner is the same, but that is also our responsibility...I think we are both a little weak on that effort,

I think where we all miss the mark on this subject is understanding who the IICRC is. It is a "certifying" organization that "serves" our industry through education and leagal certifying accreditation.

It's not our industry association. Those are like the groups that you read about in the backs of industry magazines. They always say stuff like, when they met and futures plans.

The IICRC is good for professional development of your company. Continued education is a big asset and worth every dollar spent.

What would best serve us all, is to have a better understanding of what the IICRC is trying to accomplish.

For the record, I have scheduled a hand full of jobs through this certification level.

I'm not sure the IICRC knows what they are trying to accomplish any more than we do at this point.

They establish the standards for this industry and serve to educate both the cleaners and the public with new articles and press releases about the importance of having a skilled contractor.

Like Freemind stated, I think that when they certify things like "Rug Doctor" they really undermine their value at accomplishing their mission. You can't encourage education and skills for cleaning carpets and also endorse the exact opposite at the same time.

A mechanic understands the importance of using quality products, but would you trust him if he also endorsed using bailing wire to hold up your muffler?

Sometimes money can get in the way and cause some clarity problems. We run into that in our businesses as well, the customer who tells us to just paint over the mold for example. I've had that happen and it was involving a 6-figure contract if I would do things that way.....I turned him down.

IICRC needs to turn down some of that money as well. Rug Doctor was a mistake and a bad one.

Wow, hadn't heard that one yet (I don't get out much), endorsed Rug Doctor..........talk about a great way to loose their remaining creditability fast!!!

I've always thought the iicrc was a joke, and this just proves it's all about the money.

The education aspect of the IICRC is the exception, that part is good and necessary, it is just some of the other junk that bothers me. CRI is under that bus as well, by the way.

I will say this for them, it IS worth attending the classes.

I was a lousy free throw shooter in high school and spent 4 hours after a loss trying to get better. I was practicing by using a shooting drill where you shoot free throws until you hit 10 in a row....well, I just told you I was there for 4 hours so you know how it was going.

My coach at that time was a track coach who was filling in at basketball and learned from the text books like the rest of us. All he told me to do was "focus and keep practicing".

It was the night janitor who taught me how to shoot free throws. The guy played some junior college ball and made me climb a ladder next to the hoop. He then pointed out to me how the hoop is almost twice the size of the ball and had me drop the ball through the hoop.

He then asked me if I could do that 10 more times in a row...well duh, of course I can. Then he tilted the hoop so that I would be dropping the ball just through about 3/4 of the opening and asked if it was harder?

Then he explained that the flatter I shot the ball, the less space I had for the ball to pass through the hoop and thus more likely to miss. By shooting with a high arch, I get to throw the ball through a bath tub opening and thus make a far greater amount of shots.

That is why Larry Bird and Kareem were so successful, they both had very high arched shots.

I went 7 for 8 the next game. My coach thought it was just from practice and experience, but it was really from learning the right way to shoot the ball.

This industry is the same. You don't know what you don't know and just because you have been doing it for a long time, it doesn't mean you are doing it right.

Education is the key to ensuring that you are making your shots consistently.

milspec6 wrote:This industry is the same.  You don't know what you don't know and just because you have been doing it for a long time, it doesn't mean you are doing it right.

Well said sir !

I've been "doing it" for a long time, and I know it all!!!!

Just ask DP, he told me so.







Seriously tho, I agree, you don't know what you don't know........and you have no idea you don't know when you think you do.

Thats why Rick Barry as one of the best all time free throw shooter. If players today were force to use his free throw shooting style all NBA players would be over 80% from the line